09.12.2020

TechnoAlpin guarantees go-ahead for Alpine Ski World Cup in Santa Caterina

The ski resort of Santa Caterina Valfurva in the Valtellina valley in Italy has carried out modernization and expansion work on its snowmaking system on a large scale in 2020 in collaboration with TechnoAlpin. Not only have the five pumping stations in the area been modernized, but many new snow producers of the latest generation have also been installed. Last weekend the resort was the venue for the men’s giant slalom in the Alpine Ski World Cup. A successful event which would not have been possible without the latest TechnoAlpin technology, as explained in an interview by Beppe Bonseri, director of the Santa Caterina mountain railways.

TechnoAlpin: Mr. Bonseri, you worked with TechnoAlpin this year on the modernization and expansion of the snowmaking system. Why did you choose to work with the market leader in snowmaking technology from Bolzano?

Beppe Bonseri: I know Georg Eisath, one of the founders of TechnoAlpin, from my time as general director of the Alpine World Ski Championships in Bormio in 2005. We were already working together on the World Championships at that time to ensure the success of the events. I have been the director at Santa Caterina Valfurva for two years now. TechnoAlpin was the only partner to be considered as far as I was concerned due to my positive experience [with them] in Bormio and mainly because of the great reliability and performance of the products. 

You have stepped in at the beginning of the season as an alternative venue for the World Cup races un Val d'Isère at short notice. To what extent has the new technology contributed to bringing the slope up to World Cup standard in such a short time?

Without the new technology and the modernized system it would not have been possible for us to prepare the slopes and hold the races here. We had to work for many hours at limit temperatures. We would never have been able to produce this amount and quality of snow in such a short space of time with the old system. We have now been able to run two giant slalom races here. This also means a huge amount of TV coverage and advertising for us. It is all very gratifying!

During the course of your expansion work you opted for the latest technology from TechnoAlpin. What role does innovation in this area play for you?

We constantly try to aim for innovation and we have found the right partner to do this in TechnoAlpin. The company, to put it simply, is always at the forefront of innovation and keeps developing ever more powerful and efficient snow guns. The new technology and the advantageous location of the ski resort allow us to get ahead in terms of providing good slopes, especially at the beginning of the season. This is what we want to focus on in the future. And of course we must not forget that the Winter Olympics will be held in Italy in 2026. Santa Caterina will play an important role as a training venue. We want to be prepared for this and be at our best when we are on show to the world. 

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